In many cases, successful interior design telegraphs the notion of ease. A well-designed room should not look fussy or labored over. Instead, it should appear as if it arrived at its best version of itself by some kind of natural, divine design alchemy. This is, of course, because a room is part of a home, and a home should feel comfortable and lived-in, like a highly personal sanctuary.
But if you’re precious enough to still hold on to that notion, let us take the opportunity to disavow you of it wholly. Interior design is tough. It’s not glamorous. It takes hours and hours of work. And to make our point, we offer some incontrovertible proof: video footage of five days in the life of designer Drew McGukin. We caught up with McGukin for the five days leading up to the launch of the sitting room that he created for this year’s Holiday House NYC. Using the theme of “summer solstice” as his point of inspiration, McGukin created a cozy, colorful space that, in the end, belied the amount of labor involved in its construction. To get a behind-the-scenes view, watch in time-lapse video as McGukin and a team of dedicated craftspeople hang wall coverings, a 1940s chandelier (from 1stdibs!) and draperies, then move in furniture, arrange furniture and then rearrange furniture. And then rearrange furniture a little bit more. It’s exhausting enough to make you want to put up your feet — and then go hug an interior designer.
A view of designer Drew McGukin’s “summer solstice” sitting room for this year’s Holiday House NYC.
Click here to view 14 more Holiday House NYC transformations. Thanks to Drew McGukin, Holiday House NYC and Josh Merwin.
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